A "Grand" Week

Any time spent with the grand kids is time well spent.

As you can see, for the time being, Little Peanut has my chipmunk cheeks. We saw them this past weekend while celebrating Little Farmer turning 2, and his big sister turning 14. As you can see, Baby Sister was not impressed.

This has been a knit filled week as well, as I decided a couple knitted presents were in order. First up was Red Teddy, who was a fun if fiddly knit.

He does need the face stitched on, but you get the idea. Even the vest is done. So there is one present down.

Then in the midst of Christmas knitting came a quick birthday gift, a card holder.

As a bonus, it even holds a teen's phone.

As if that weren't enough gifting, I tossed the stash and found some well marinated and aged yarn. Clearly I intended it for a little boy hoodie. Just as clearly, although it may have been intended for grandnephews, I think it is going to end up on a grandson instead.

And since it sounds like I will be hand counting ballots all next week, I better get knitting.

Sorry Pink Princess. But the Baby Hap will will get finished.

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What Black Friday?

No Black Friday shopping for me this year. Partly due to finances, and partly to avoid the mobs. Much of my shopping has been done from my favorite online tractor toy store. That package is due for delivery tomorrow. I do have a bit more to get, but not right now.

I had to make a few unexpected purchases on Monday though. While getting a specific hoodie for Younger Son, I accidently picked up a new pair of barn boots for me, mid-length Bogs. I have a pair of tall ones, but the are tight on my calf, although very useful following blizzards. Now I have a shorter pair for normal snow and rainy farm work.

I also needed to replace the lamp by my knitting chair. I had noticed lately even on the highest of the three-way settings it wasn't as bright as it had been. I was thinking of replacing it someday with a floor lamp, with a reading lamp. Then Monday morning, it wouldn't even turn on. When disposing it, I saw the connection where the bulb screwed in was a bit scorched. Yikes!

I found a floor lamp, less expensive than the one I had spotted the week before while grocery shopping. And it still had the reading lamp. The price was so good, I also picked up a desk lamp as well. Between the reading lamp and the desk lamp, my knitting as well as my reading (especially charts and patterns) will be much easier to see on cloudy days and after dark. Leo thought it worked quite nicely,

And the Red Teddy has grown a leg.

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It Couldn't Last

You probably knew I would need to cast on something again soon.

But after all...Christmas! Grandchildren! Knitting Grammy! Put it all together and, well, I have a new project on the needles. Which leads us to "Red Teddy."

I know it looks kind of funny there. But it is the head of a Magic Loop Teddy. I just started this afternoon, after finding a "new to me" cast on of a type used for casting on for toe up socks. It is built off of a long tail cast on and very easy.

I like easy.

I even resigned myself to using Red Heart. But at least this is soft and sturdy. The last I time I used Red Heart, I felt like I was knitting with plastic. This is nice though, since being a toy, I decided against wool for washability. It is knit in the round, all in one piece, except for the ears which are sewn on after finishing. The pattern includes a little vest. I will probably knit that in the remains of silver gray I used for the Scoreboard Cowl.

The head is done and I am ready to start the body.

It is more of a deeper wine color than it looks here. And the pattern is a free one through Ravelry if anyone wants to see it.

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Yum

Mmmm. Bread pudding. I love bread pudding.

And hey: bread, milk, eggs, raisins...sounds like a balanced meal to me.

Baking and racing, knitting and a little reading. It's a good day, even if the NASCAR season ends in a couple hours.

 

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Plugging Along, Plus Moon

Now that I have picked up the Baby Hap Shawl again, I am finally back in the groove of knowing the pattern and following the chart.

That little green stitch marker means I have reach the corner and have one side finished. Fourteen points of lace. Three more sides and then blocking, and then I can give this puppy away! I will try to at least finish a point or two every day.

It definitely is not brainless knitting. I will need to return to the Simple Brainless Sock or the Close To You Blues shawl (that is using my blue handspun) or the Ten Stitch Blankie when I need something easy for traveling or for Knit Nite. And there are still a couple socks that need concentration so I have not gotten to the place where I can cast on anything new.

Um, that is unless I decide to do some gift knitting. There is always that.

Oh, did you see the super duper moon?

We had a lot of wispy clouds here. They gave the moon an eerie looke, like something out of The Wolfman movie. (The one with Bela Lugosi and Lon Chaney Junior.)

 

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The Little Things

It doesn't take a lot to make my day.

A month or two ago, our back room light quit working. Hubby and I changed the bulb. Still no light. Younger Son has a friend who was going to change the switch but he has been busy working on his truck, so we were still in the dark, literally.

Then a couple weeks ago, my friend reminded me that her hubby was an electrician for Ford Motot and could probably handle it for us.

And after a quick visit this afternoon, we have light in the back room.

It was the switch. And not only was that replaced, but he installed a light I had purchased for over the back steps.

We once had a light there, but when the house was re-sided, the installers capped off the wires and left them under the eaves. When the offer was made for a real electrician, I quickly purchased a fixture for over the porch.

I have light! I can see to walk in and out of house with out a flashlight after dark! What a concept.

Like I said, it is the simple things.

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The Crazy is Over.

What a relief to be done with that. No more ads. No "chummy" phone calls.

Time to relax, breath and carry on.

Four years ago, I was the one saddened and flummoxed. I honestly couldn't believe it had happened again and I was hurt by those who were so happy and gloating.

Because this was a case, for me, of the lesser of two flawed people, I again chose the one who made me feel the most hopeful. I did not now or then choose due to sex or age, but looked at actions and character and positions. I know many disagreed with me. The closeness of the vote make that obvious.

I sincerely apologize if anything I posted on my blog or on Facebook offended anyone. With 2008 in mind, I tried not to share anything, but I did "like" other posts. If the ideas I liked offended you, again I am sorry for that, although I cannot apologize for liking certain things.

I have admit I am moderately happy with the results. A few months ago, I never thought I would be. But life goes on. I can't always have what I want. No one can. My hope now is that we can learn to live with our differences.

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As a side note, working the polls yesterday was exciting even if it was a LONG day. People coming in were smiling. There were many new voters. The only issues were technical and eventually resolved. I look forward to the next time working the polls.

Now, back to knitting.

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Getting My Knitting Groove On

I mentioned in my previous post that I had dug out my knitting basket and swapped it with my tote. That brought back into the knitting rotation the Baby Hap Shawl.

Of course since I packed it away in the heat of summer, I had to tink* back a few rows, count stitches and figure out where I was in the lace chart. I think I have it. Onward!

I will continue and the Purple Princess will get her shawl/blanket before long. I may need to get my hands on my blocking frame soon.

*tink is knit backwards. In other words, I had to tink, or unknit, a few rows to find my place in the pattern.

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Fast Start, Slow Finish?

I started the year so well with blogging regularly. But lately, not so well. Even my knitting has slowed. But I will try to get better. I hope.

Fall has returned, although half heartedly. I am not a fan of these above normal temps, even if it is now in the 50s and 60s. Heck, I wore sleeveless top and sandals to church this week! In November!

The leaves have been falling right along. Usually our yard would be thickly coated. However Hubby discovered last year that if he puts the bagger on the mower he can pick them up and dump them in the manure spreader. He then scatters them in the meadow we leave fallow. The pictures here are less than 24 hours since the last pickup. Our trees drop them one tree at a time, so he will be at it for a while yet.

And another sign of fall. See the dust in the left background?

Our neighbor was harvesting soybeans. They always raise up a cloud of brown dust. There is a red combine in that dust cloud.

And just because I haven't posted anything here about my Little Peanut, here is a shot from this past week, when I got to watch her for a while.

Just like her brother, she wants her hands on the phone.

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